Riley Stearns

When I was nineteen, I moved to L.A.

— Riley Stearns

I've always been fascinated by cults even as a kid.

— Riley Stearns

I would say the biggest challenge on any film is always time.

— Riley Stearns

Jujitsu helped me a lot in feeling more comfortable with who I was.

— Riley Stearns

For me, I never look down at my characters.

— Riley Stearns

I play bass, and I wanted to be a musician.

— Riley Stearns

I lost ten pounds while shooting 'Faults' somehow and by the end of the shoot people were basically handing me stuff to…

— Riley Stearns

I always wanted to learn French or Italian growing up. I love the romantic sound of those languages.

— Riley Stearns

As long as you're a good person and you're doing things that don't hurt other people, whoever you are, just embrace that.

— Riley Stearns

I don't plan a lot of shots, but going into shooting and prep, I've got certain things that stand out to me.

— Riley Stearns

I don't want to think I'm making fun of anything ever, especially my characters.

— Riley Stearns

Tattoos are traditionally super masculine, but I just like it. I like the art.

— Riley Stearns

My perspective is a white man's perspective and nothing else. I can't speak for anyone else or say something I'm not versed…

— Riley Stearns

I think violence should be a bit much sometimes because I don't like glorifying violence.

— Riley Stearns

When everyone decides that they have to be a certain way, that there's one way to be a man and one way…

— Riley Stearns

I'll admit I'm still getting used to using preferred pronouns here and there. Actually changing the way that you address people can…

— Riley Stearns

I think it's so cool that the younger generation is so much more fluid in this regard. You don't have to be…

— Riley Stearns

It just makes me laugh, when you talk to people who are 'typical' men, masculine, they watch sports and they can armchair…

— Riley Stearns

I love making movies that I want to see made and I want to see on the screen, but I also want…

— Riley Stearns

It would be crazy to write a movie - which, I've seen these movies before - where someone is a beginner, has…

— Riley Stearns

I went to UT in Austin for a year as an undeclared liberal arts student. After that year I applied to the…

— Riley Stearns

I was questioning what it means to be a man. I didn't feel as masculine as I thought I should. I was…

— Riley Stearns

I have always been fascinated by cults and mind control, and specifically deprogramming from the cult.

— Riley Stearns

I grew up lower-middle class outside of Austin, I'm a white guy, and I write movies.

— Riley Stearns

To think that there's one version of a man is ridiculous.

— Riley Stearns

I do like to have a clean slate, especially when you're in indie film.

— Riley Stearns

I really like films that don't let the score influence the tone too much.

— Riley Stearns

Specifically for 'Faults,' the three films I mention most as inspiration are 'Dogtooth,' 'Fargo' and 'Punch-Drunk Love.'

— Riley Stearns

I was really interested in doing a martial arts movie, but maybe exploring ideas that maybe you wouldn't think to explore in…

— Riley Stearns

'Faults,' in a lot of ways, is still is a heightened film, but the end of the day, it's the real world.…

— Riley Stearns

The script for 'The Art of Self-Defense,' to be fair, I knew going into it that it was going to be a…

— Riley Stearns

Cinematically speaking, there's more of a striking appeal to karate. It's kicking and punching action. Jiu-jitsu is dudes rolling around and wrestling.

— Riley Stearns

Sometimes I wonder how my filmmaking would have been affected by film school but in the end I'm glad I got to…

— Riley Stearns

I go back home for Christmas every year. Inevitably, somebody from my family will say, 'How's the karate going?' I've told them…

— Riley Stearns

I'm definitely not making movies solely for myself. That's something that I hear people say in the past, all they care about…

— Riley Stearns